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Sierra Leone has no shortage of laws. From labor protections to health and safety regulations, the legal framework on paper appears modern and comprehensive. But when it comes to implementation, the reality is bleak and in many cases, nonexistent.
Take, for instance, the health and safety conditions in mining and industrial companies across the country. Despite clear legal requirements, many workers operate in hazardous environments with little to no oversight. There is minimal enforcement of safety protocols, and workplace injuries often go unreported or uncompensated.
The Labour Law, meant to safeguard workers’ rights, is routinely ignored. Worse still, the institutions responsible for upholding these laws including the Ministry of Labour and Social Security are often underfunded, understaffed, or simply indifferent. Workers are left vulnerable, and employers face no consequences.
So why do we have all these laws if they are not enforced? The answer lies in a troubling culture of legal hypocrisy, where legislation exists more for appearances than for justice. Drafting laws garners praise and political points, but enforcing them requires political will, accountability, and genuine concern for citizens’ well-being.
Until enforcement becomes a priority, and institutions are empowered to act, Sierra Leone’s labor laws will remain what they are now: words on paper, detached from the lives they are meant to protect.
Workers laws that can’t protect workers is that a law,just because of politics they’ll not be working
Well said, I wish things have been different, that could have reminded how special Labor day was, but thing seems to be misplaced, we live in a country were law doesn’t matter were money is, labor day seems more provocative while celebrating it seems look like a joke.